Existing thermoelectric (TE) (Peltier Effect) devices designed to extract water from ambient humidity through condensation typically use finned metal heat exchangers which are constrained to be in direct contact with or in close proximity to the faces of the TE element(s). This constrains the location of the heat exchangers in two ways—each heat exchanger must be co-located with its assigned (hot or cold) side of the TE device, and the two sides must therefore be separated by the thickness of the TE device, which is a fraction of an inch. These constraints make for difficult design choices in both location of the heat exchangers and air handling. These difficulties have limited the application of TE devices in water production machines to date.
Water produced by condensation from ambient air contains various impurities including dust particles, microbes and viruses from the air, and dissolved gaseous compounds which affect its taste. Municipal and private sources of potable water contain dissolved solids and other compounds which affect taste and in some cases microbes and viruses.
In order to remove these taste- and safety-affecting materials various types of filtering systems have been used. An effective filtration and distribution system for potable water must remove dissolved taste and odor causing chemicals, dissolved solids, and either kill or prevent microbes, molds, and viruses from reproducing and remove the detritus left behind by so doing. If potable water is to be stored after filtration it must be re-filtered before dispensing. Good practice dictates that stored water be subjected to disinfection and recirculated through the filtration system on a regular basis to eliminate detritus and disinfection byproducts.